A hydrogen generation assembly is an assembly that converts one or more feedstocks into a product stream containing hydrogen gas as a majority component. The feedstocks may include a carbon-containing feedstock and, in some embodiments, also may include water. The feedstocks are delivered to a hydrogen-producing region of the hydrogen generation assembly from a feedstock delivery system, typically with the feedstocks being delivered under pressure and at elevated temperatures. The hydrogen-producing region is often associated with a temperature modulating assembly, such as a heating assembly or cooling assembly, which consumes one or more fuel streams to maintain the hydrogen-producing region within a suitable temperature range for effectively producing hydrogen gas. The hydrogen generation assembly may generate hydrogen gas via any suitable mechanism(s), such as steam reforming, autothermal reforming, pyrolysis, and/or catalytic partial oxidation.
The generated or produced hydrogen gas may, however, have impurities. That gas may be referred to as a mixed gas stream that contains hydrogen gas and other gases. Prior to using the mixed gas stream, it must be purified, such as to remove at least a portion of the other gases. The hydrogen generation assembly may therefore include a hydrogen purification device for increasing the hydrogen purity of the mixed gas stream. The hydrogen purification device may include at least one hydrogen-selective membrane to separate the mixed gas stream into a product stream and a byproduct stream. The product stream contains a greater concentration of hydrogen gas and/or a reduced concentration of one or more of the other gases from the mixed gas stream. Hydrogen purification using one or more hydrogen-selective membranes is a pressure driven separation process in which the one or more hydrogen-selective membranes are contained in a pressure vessel. The mixed gas stream contacts the mixed gas surface of the membrane(s), and the product stream is formed from at least a portion of the mixed gas stream that permeates through the membrane(s). The pressure vessel is typically sealed to prevent gases from entering or leaving the pressure vessel except through defined inlet and outlet ports or conduits.
The product stream may be used in a variety of applications. One such application is energy production, such as in electrochemical fuel cells. An electrochemical fuel cell is a device that converts fuel and an oxidant to electricity, a reaction product, and heat. For example, fuel cells may convert hydrogen and oxygen into water and electricity. In those fuel cells, the hydrogen is the fuel, the oxygen is the oxidant, and the water is a reaction product. Fuel cell stacks include a plurality of fuel cells and may be utilized with a hydrogen generation assembly to provide an energy production assembly.
Examples of hydrogen generation assemblies, hydrogen processing assemblies, and/or components of those assemblies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,861,137; 6,319,306; 6,494,937; 6,562,111; 7,063,047; 7,306,868; 7,470,293; 7,601,302; 7,632,322; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0090397; 2006/0272212; 2007/0266631; 2007/0274904; 2008/0085434; 2008/0138678; 2008/0230039; 2010/0064887. The complete disclosures of the above patents and patent application publications are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.